Hyundai has entered into a partnership with Waymo to develop fully autonomous versions of its Ioniq 5 that will join the technology giant’s self-driving taxi fleet.
Waymo has pivoted into collaborating with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) after its parent company Google cancelled plans to develop their own cars.
In the first phase of the new partnership, Ioniq 5s integrated with Waymo One, the sixth generation of the technology giant’s autonomous driving software, will be added to Waymo’s own self-driving fleet over time.
The vehicles will start operating in the US first, but it’s likely the autonomous taxis will be rolled out to other markets in the future, depending on self-driving regulatory advancements.
The companies plan to produce a fleet of IONIQ 5s equipped with Waymo’s technology in significant volume over multiple years to support Waymo One’s growing scale.
Initial on-road testing with Waymo-enabled IONIQ 5s will begin by late 2025 and become available to Waymo One riders in the years to follow.
Waymo One is already operating in San Francisco.
Self-driving vehicles could be on British roads by 2026, after the government’s Automated Vehicles (AV) Act became law in May this year.
Announced in the King’s Speech, the AV Act enables advanced technology to drive vehicles on British roads.
The law will require self-driving vehicles to achieve a level of safety at least as high as careful and competent human drivers, as well as meeting rigorous safety checks before being allowed onto roads.